It's A Long Shot
by iAmThePaintedLady
Summary: It couldn't be them, but it was. Longshot didn't know how to feel. The last time he saw them, they were being taken away by fire benders after their village was burned down. And now they're back, in Ba Sing Se. Why? xXSmellershot in the beginningXx *It's better than it sounds*
1. A New Beginning

**_Disclaimer- I do not own Avatar: the last airbender_**

_This fic takes place when Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot get to Ba Sing Se. I know its a while back, sorry. _

**_It's a Long Shot_  
**

**_Chapter 1: A New Start_**

"What do you think, Longshot?"

The boy in the in the conical hat looked at the girl with his eyes that spoke a million words. Truth was, he wasn't listening at all. All he could think about were the rest of the freedom fighters. It was only him, Jet, and Smellerbee. Where were the others?

The three of them were walking around the lower ring of Ba Sing Se, hoping for a fresh start; a clean slate. The girl opened her mouth to speak again. "Jet thinks the old man and Lee are fire nation, do you?" Longshot stopped in his tracks and so did his friends. He looked at Smellerbee then at Jet and paused. Finally he shook his head. They began walking again.

"I don't think so either," Smellerbee said, "I mean, he helped us liberate food for everyone, Jet. I think you're just being paranoid. If he _was_ fire nation, how could they have gotten into Ba Sing Se?"

Jet was quiet for a moment. Even _he _didn't know the answer to that question. "I don't know, but what I do know is that they're fire benders and I'm going to prove it. I'm not paranoid!"

Longshot and Smellerbee stopped walking and once Jet noticed they were no longer beside him, he stopped as well and turned around. "Are you going to help me or what?" The short haired girl bit her lip and the boy with a bow and arrows stood there without the slightest emotion on his face.

"We're pretty hungry. You follow Lee and we'll catch up with you later," Smellerbee said with uncertainty in her voice.

"How will you get food? We don't even have any money," Jet countered.

"We'll figure something out," she assured him. Jet just nodded and walked away from the two freedom fighters. Smellerbee let out a sigh of relief. "I'm not trying to sound mean, but I think Jet has lost it."

Longshot nodded and got a chuckle out of her. "I wasn't lying when I said we were hungry though," she said looking around. "C'mon let's go find somewhere to eat."

They had been walking for hours and they still hadn't gotten a single bite to eat. They went to many shops and stands that sold food but couldn't afford it, and when they begged they were just denied and sent away. Now it was almost sunset and they were walking around the streets of the lower ring where they would be staying for the rest of their lives. Longshot walked along side of Smellerbee in silence. He didn't talk much and the people that knew him, respected that.

As they tried to find some food to eat, it began getting darker. Longshot looked up and saw lanterns burning bright orange, and the memories of the fire nation burning down his village came back to his mind, as they always did. He could see the flames of red and orange stretching to the skies. He could feel the heat on his skin and the sweat streaming down his face. The innocent cries rang in his ears, and the smell of smoke and ash filled his nose. He was brought back to the current time when he felt a light touch on his arm. He looked at the hand and then to the face it belonged to.

"You don't look so good," Smellerbee asked. "You're sweating and it's not even hot out."

Longshot wiped his brow with his arm without a word.

"Maybe we should take a break," his companion said with concern in her voice. He gave a small nod and they sat on a nearby fountain that was in the middle of a courtyard. Longshot dipped his hands in the fountain and wiped the water over his face. He did seem a bit warm, but he didn't care.

"Are you alright?" Smellerbee asked. He looked at her for a moment and then looked at the ground. "Oh," was all she could say. She understood what was happening. It happened to her too sometimes. "It's going to be alright, Longshot."

He nodded his head. Deep down, Longshot wasn't okay though. He hated the fire nation. He wanted them to feel the pain and anger he and the others went through, but he knew he had to put all of that hatred behind him. He took in a deep breath and let it out and soon he was back to his normal self. He stood up and looked down at Smellerbee. When she made eye contact with him, he motioned with his head to go. She gave a faint smile and got up to continue their search for food. By then it was nighttime already and they had gotten lost. Ba Sing Se was a huge city and they were going to get lost sooner or later.

"We're lost," Smellerbee said. She looked around trying to find something that looked familiar but everything was new to them. Longshot heard some crying and looked to his right into a dark alley. He squinted his eyes trying to see who was there but he couldn't make it out. He grabbed Smellerbee's arm and brought her to the alley. As they got closer, Longshot could see that it was an elderly woman and a man with a knife. Longshot put his arm up, stopping Smellerbee in her tracks. He pointed to the alley and she saw what he was looking at. Quickly, they hid behind the wall.

Longshot looked into Smellerbee's eyes. _We have to help her_ his eyes said. Smellerbee understood his facial expression and nodded. She got out her knives and Longshot grabbed hold of his bow and got ready an arrow. Then they came from behind the wall and entered the alley. The thug looked at them with his green eyes.

"Look kids, go run along and you won't get hurt, okay?"

Longshot squinted his eyes and shot an arrow, knocking the knife out of thug's hand. Smellerbee threw two of her knives and pierced his sleeves into the wall.

"How about you give back what you took from that lady and _you _won't get hurt," Smellerbee said. She unpinned the man from the wall. He took out the money he stole and threw it and ran out of the alley. Smellerbee gave a smile of satisfaction. The old woman came up to them.

"Thank you so much young lady and you too young man," she said. This was the first time somebody realized that Smellerbee was in fact a girl and she smiled. "Don't mention it."

The old woman took out the bag of money the thug tried to steal and handed it to them. "Here, take it. Consider it as a thank you gift." Longshot took the sack. "May I ask for your names?"

"I'm Smellerbee and this is Longshot."

"Are you the shadow benders?" the woman asked.

_The shadow benders? _Longshot thought to himself.

"Who are they?" Smellerbee asked.

"It is said that they live in the shadows. They are good, but also bad. No one knows who they are, but at night, they help those who are in trouble; in any ring of the kingdom. On the other hand, they steal from those who have what they need." The old woman looked at Longshot. "They saved my grandson and I am eternally grateful to them."

"Sorry, but we aren't them," Smellerbee said. Longshot held out the sack of money to give back to her.

"Are you joking? You saved my life. Keep it. Thank you so very much Smellerbee and Longshot." The woman left them alone with the sack full of money. Longshot looked at Smellerbee with a smile. He didn't have to say anything for her to know that they will be eating good tonight.

They walked out of a noodle shop, stomachs satisfied. Longshot took out the sack of money and looked inside. There were still many silver pieces and about two gold pieces. He handed Smellerbee the sack and her eyes widened.

"That lady _had_ to be from the upper class!" she said, "But why was she down here?"

Longshot shrugged his shoulders. They were silent for a while as they walked.

"I'm still worried about Jet," Smellerbee finally said. "It isn't good for him to keep thinking everyone is a fire bender. We have to talk to him." She looked over at Longshot and as their eyes met, he nodded. They roamed for a few minutes until they found Jet, looking hard at a tea shop. Longshot stopped walking, but Smellerbee got closer to their leader.

**"Jet, we need to talk," she said.

Jet jumped. "What?" When he saw it was Smellerbee he calmed down. "Oh, it's just you guys. Where have you been? I can use some help with surveillance here."

"We've been talking and we think you've been becoming obsessed with this. It's not healthy."

"Oh really? You both think this?"

Longshot put his arm over Smellerbee with a faint smile.

"We came here to make a fresh start," she said. "But you won't let this go. Even though there's no real proof."

Jet's eyes widened. "Well, maybe if you'd help me...?"

"Jet, you need to stop this."

"Maybe you've forgotten why we need to start over. Maybe you forgotten about how the fire nation left us all homeless, how they wiped out all the people we loved?" He paused for a second, leaving them to think about what he had just said. Longshot didn't want to think about that again. He couldn't; it was too painful. When no one said a word Jet spoke again, "If you don't want to help me, I'll find the evidence on my own."**

He stormed off into the tea shop, leaving Longshot and Smellerbee alone. The girl with the markings on her face leaned against the wall, unsure of what to do. Longshot leaned next to her. They just stood there for a while until they heard the sound of dishes being broken. They made their way to the coffee shop and before they knew it, they saw both Jet and Lee fighting in the street. Smellerbee started to run to help Jet, but Longshot caught her arm and stopped her. Soon the Dai Li appeared.

"Those people are fire benders!" Jet yelled and that's all that Longshot and Smellerbee could hear as they saw the Dai Li take Jet away. The two of them walked away from the scene and Smellerbee just fell apart. She sat on the ground with her hands on her head.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked her friend. He went up to her and put a hand on her shoulder and stared into her eyes. "Of course not," he said. That was one of the few times he spoke, and this made Smellerbee smile a bit. "Thanks, Longshot." She got up from the ground. "Let's go home."

Longshot nodded and they headed to their new home.

* * *

**Hey this is Elisa! This was my first fic for the Avatar. I watched the whole season nonstop and I love it. So many important values are taught. Anyway, I really like Longshot so I wrote a fic about him:). I support Smellershot! The beginning is pretty boring, not going to lie, but this is just to set up for the plot. The plot will be in the next chapter whether i get reviews or not. There's a little foreshadowing in this chapter so I'm glad i used that skill. So leave criticisms in the review and I'll try to make my stories better. Thanks and have a great Avatar day!**

****I used this actual scene from the episode City of Walls and Secrets. All rights reserved to the creator of this series.**


	2. The Shadow Benders Strike

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the last airbender._**

**_It's a Long Shot  
_**

**_Chapter 2: The Shadow Benders Strike_**

They walked up the hill that led up to the small flat (that was given to them when they had arrived into the capital of the Earth Kingdom) with a sack full of food and blankets. On their way to their new home, they had stopped to pick up a few things with the money they had earned. They opened the door and entered. It was just one big room. They had been sleeping on the floor for the past couple of days and it had been uncomfortable, but none of them complained. Longshot put the sack of food in the section of the big room that was supposed to be the kitchen while Smellerbee took off her boots and shirt leaving on only her pants and the wrapping around her chest area, and laid down with their new blankets. Once Longshot was done putting the sack of food on the floor beside his bow and arrows, he joined Smellerbee. He took off his conical hat along with his boots and shirt revealing a scar on his arm. The two of them just laid there along side of each other in silence, in the dark.

The silence was broken when Smellerbee spoke, "Longshot, what do you think happened to Jet?"

Longshot didn't say anything. Leaving them in silence once more. "I wish you would talk more," Smellerbee whispered to herself but Longshot heard. He shifted to his side, facing away from Smellerbee.

The only reason he didn't talk wasn't because he didn't want to, it was because the last time he spoke when he was a child, he was beaten and told to never express his opinion again. Ever since then he lived his whole life without talking, and because of that he was always known as the boy nobody wanted to be with, but when he met the Freedom Fighters, he finally felt like he belonged. People actually wanted to be with him. Longshot finally found out that he didn't need to speak in order to be treated with respect so he never did, but he knew that people always wanted him to.

"I'm sorry, Longshot, I didn't mean it," his companion said with sincerity in her voice. When nothing was said she spoke again. "Goodnight."

Longshot just laid there until his eyelids got heavier and heavier until they finally closed.

* * *

The two masked shadow benders had been watching the boy and girl since they helped the old woman. That money should have been theirs, but the boy with the bow and the girl with the knives took it away from them. Now, they were right outside their small house, about to take what was rightfully theirs. The shadow bender with the blue eyes jumped off the tree they were on and jumped on the roof of their target's house with light feet. The blue -eyed person dumped water from a water carrier over the roof and began raising it with their hands. The mystery person began slicing through the roof with the water and soon enough there was a hole. The person motioned for their partner to follow. When they reunited, they entered the small house through the hole. They were light on their feet and made their way over to the sack full of food.

* * *

Longshot was almost in a deep sleep until he heard something fall. He sat up and rubbed his eyes only to find two people dressed in all black with black masks, holding the sack of food they had bought earlier that day. Right away the two masked people ran under the hole in the ceiling. _How did that get there? _Longshot thought to himself. One of the mystery people stomped their foot creating an earth ledge. They hopped on and the same person lifted their hands, raising the ledge. Longshot grabbed his bow and arrows and ran outside, hoping to stop whoever they were. Once outside he looked around and saw the two people running on the roof. He pulled back an arrow and focused on the moving target. He released and the arrow went whizzing and pierced the sack of food into a nearby tree. The two bandits were shocked. The one with the blue eyes jumped off the roof and threw a knife at Longshot. He dodged it right at the last second. The person bended the water out of their holder and bended them into sharp icicle daggers and thrust their hands forward.

The icicles stabbed Longshot's pants, some grazing his skin, into a tree and held his hands in place to where he couldn't move. The two benders moved toward him. The blue eyed bender widened her eyes when Longshot stared into them. The person looked at the scar on his shoulder and reached for their mask, taking it off. It revealed a girl with long brown hair with strands of hair in her face.

"Longshot?"

Longshot's eyes grew bigger. _No, _he thought. Their stare was broken when a knife scratched the girl's face. He looked to see where it came from and saw Smellerbee with her knives ready. The water bender looked back at Longshot with blood on her face. She raised her hands, took a deep breath, and lowered them. The icicles melted and Longshot fell to the floor.

"Wang," she said. "Enough."

Wang took off his mask, revealing his black shaggy hair and bright green eyes. Smellerbee gasped, for he looked like Jet, except his skin was a bit lighter. The girl and boy raised their hands as a sign of peace. Longshot made his way over to Smellerbee.

"Who are these stupid people?" Smellerbee asked.

Wang raised his arms, creating two boulders. "I'd watch what you say."

"Stop," his partner said. The boy dropped the boulders, making the ground shake.

Smellerbee was about to throw one of her knives, but Longshot held up his arm, stopping her.

"Longshot, is that you?" the water bender asked coming closer. The sun was beginning to rise and he could see the girl more clearly. It _was _her.

"Do you know her?" Smellerbee asked. Longshot nodded. He opened his mouth to speak. "Nami."

Nami smiled as he said her name. It took him a while to respond to this. He didn't know how to feel. The last time he saw her, fire benders were taking her, Wang and their family away after those savage fire benders burned down his village. He put one of his hands to his head, confused, and fell to the ground. Nami, Smelllerbee, and Wang ran and kneeled down next to him. "I need some water," Nami said.

"_You _need some water? What about Longshot?" Smellerbee shouted.

"The water _is _for him. I've healed him with water before."

"Here," Wang said handing her his water holder. Nami moved her hand outward and the water followed. She moved both her hands in a circular motion and the water wrapped around them. She put one of her hands on his head and the other on his heart. "Nothing seems to be damaged," Nami said. She looked at the cuts on his legs that she created. She shook her head and ran her hands over the cuts. Soon they began to heal and looked as if they were never there.

"All of this is probably overwhelming for him," Wang said.

"Who are you people?" Smellerbee asked getting her knives out.

"You're not the only one who knows how to handle a knife," Nami said, knife in hand.

"Both of you stop," Wang said, "this isn't really helping."

Nami sighed. "I'm Nami and this is my brother, Wang. We lived in the same village as Longshot."

* * *

**So this is my second chapter. King of short, but i wanted to keep you guys on your toes! Big thanks to my brother for reading it over and pushing me to keep writing. Also thanks to Edlover 23, ADVENTUREtime and KissMeLove for the feedback and for favorite-ing my story. Any criticism? Review! Thanks for reading:) and have a great Avatar day. **

**P.S Don't be afraid to click that 'Go' button below;) thanks!**


	3. For the First Time

_**Disclaimer: Do not own Avatar: the last airbender.**_

_**It's a Long Shot  
**_

_**Chapter 3: For the First Time**_

"_Don't be out too long and be careful, Renshu," his mother called out to him._

"_Mom!" the little boy yelled in annoyance._

"_I mean Longshot," his mother said with a smile on her face and a sparkle in her brown eyes. The little Longshot smiled and ran off with a bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows in the other. He looked over his shoulder and when he didn't see his mother anymore he went into the woods where he was forbidden to go._

_He stopped running when he reached his usual spot by the willow tree where he always practiced his archery. He took time to catch his breath and began his practice. He pulled back the arrow and aimed at the tree with the target he put on it. He took a deep breath and let go, sending the whizzing arrow to a perfect bulls-eye. He smiled at his achievement. The little boy bend down to get another arrow but when he looked at the target the arrow he had just shot was gone. The smile that was once on his face, vanished. He readied an arrow and looked around. _

"_Who's there?" He shouted, sounding fearless._

_He heard rustling in thee trees, but when he looked up he saw nothing and the rustling stopped. He lowered his bow and relaxed a bit. He took a deep breath and prepared to shoot another arrow when he heard a little girl laugh. He looked around again and saw that his arrows weren't there anymore._

"_I know you're there and if you don't give me back my arrows, I can kill you with one shot!" he yelled to the mystery culprit._

_Everything was silent except for the loud beating of Longshot's heart. He turned around only to find a girl dressed in a short, green sleeveless kimono. Her long brown hair covered her face and her bright blue eyes stared into his, with an expressionless face. _

"_You couldn't. Even if you wanted to," the mystery girl said._

_Longshot was furious not only because this girl took his arrows that took him so long to make, but because she called him out to be weak. He began thinking, what if she was a fire bender? It could be a trap._

_He pulled back the arrow that he had readied earlier and let it go sending it towards the girl, but she jumped backwards onto her hands then onto her feet, right before the arrow could hit her. Longshot was amazed at this. He always hit his target._

_The girl got out a knife and threw it at him. Grazing his arm. Pain shot up his body and he knelt to the ground holding back his tears._

_The girl confronted him. _

"_Who are you?" They both asked in unison._

"_Me?" They both said._

"_I live here!" It was as if they were twins, speaking the same words._

"_No you don't! You're fire nation!" The both of them were getting annoyed. Before the girl could say something Longshot did._

"_You're the one who started all of this. Is obvious your a fire bender," he said with disgust in his mouth. _

"_You might want to check your facts again, dummy," the girl said, "Who's the one wearing red here? And plus, I live in a village not too far from here."_

_Longshot's eyes widened while he looked at the red scarf draped and tied around his shoulders. _Damn it _he thought to himself. "That's where I live," he finally said_

_The girl squatted and helped the boy up. Once he got up he backed away from her. _

"_Let me help you," she said._

"_I think you've helped enough," he said._

"_You can trust me," the little girl said, stepping closer to Longshot. He looked into her deep blue eyes and hung his head. He was desperate. If he went home with a bloody arm, his mother would question him. The girl got closer and touched his hand softly. When he didn't pull back she grabbed his hand._

"_Come with me," she said tugging on the arm that wasn't hurt. She grabbed his bow and led him to a nearby river. She let go of his hand. "Sit down by the edge of the river."_

_He raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to push me in it, are you?"_

"_Sounds tempting, but I won't," she said._

_Longshot did what he was told and sat down on the edge. The girl sat in front of him. _

"_Before I try to help you," she started, "please don't..." _

"_Don't, what?" Longshot asked._

_She sighed. "Just keep quiet until I'm done okay?" He nodded._

_The girl put her hands over the water and closed her eyes. As she raised her hands the water raised with them, and circled around her hands. Her water covered hands made their way to Longshot's cut, and she concentrated with all her might. Soon the water began to glow and Longshot could feel the power healing him._

_She took her hands away and bended the water back to the river. She looked over at Longshot, whose eyes were big. _

"_You're a...?"_

"_Water bender," she finished. _

_The boy looked down at where the cut used to be but only in its place was a scar._

"_I'm sorry I couldn't take away the scar. My bending isn't all that great," she said. Longshot looked up at her. "Who are you?"_

"_My name is Nami. My mother and I came here from the northern water tribe after she was betrothed to my step-dad. No one here knows that my mother and I can water bend besides my family and now, you. You can't tell anyone," she said touching his hand._

_He looked down at her hand. "Why not?"_

"_Because the fire nation already wiped out all the water benders from out sister tribe. If somehow they found out that me and my mom are water benders in this village, they would take us away." She looked away trying to hold the tears from spilling out. She would not let anyone see her cry. No matter what happened._

"_Nami, I promise I won't tell anyone," he said._

_She looked at him and a smile grew on her face. "Thank you." She saw that she was still touching his hand and pulled away quickly. "Well, I told you who I was. Who are you? I never see you around in the village."_

"_I'm Longshot. I don't go around the village that much. I either just stay home or I practice my archery," he said with a smile._

"_You're Kana's son aren't you?" she asked excitedly. He nodded. "How did you know?" he asked. "Our mothers are friends," she said. Nami stood up and went over to a nearby bush and grabbed something that Longshot couldn't see. When she came back over she handed him his arrows._

"_My arrows!" he said with a huge smile. "How did you manage to take them away from me?"_

"_That's for me to know and for you to find out," she laughed and started to run into the forest again. Longshot got up, grabbed his things and ran after Nami. He was right behind the girl, determined to pass her, but she was just too quick. Nami looked over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at Longshot. He couldn't help but smile. As they came out of the forest to enter their village, Nami slowed down. When Longshot caught up to her, he tried to catch his breath._

"_I need to ask you something, Nami," he said, breathing heavily. "How did your step-dad and mom even meet?"_

"_Come walk with me," she said with a smile. They walked in the streets of their home village. "My step-dad, Shan, was in the ocean when we found him. He was on a ship sailing to find fish on the ocean near our tribe, but a horrible storm broke out and ruined his ship. Shan, including his men, were left in the ocean. Morning came and we found them on our shore. My mother and all the other healers took them to be taken care of. She took care of Shan and soon the fell in love, something my mom hasn't felt in a while since my father died. He carved a betrothal necklace for my mother and we came back here with him." _

_They stopped by stand that were selling miscellaneous items. Name took one of their conical hats and put it on Longshot and smiled._

"_It's a good look for you," she laughed. She gave the man who was selling it a silver piece. "Consider it a sorry-for-hurting-you gift."_

_Longshot looked at his reflection in a mirror that the man was selling and couldn't help but smile. They walked around the village as people looked at them, shocked to see Longshot roaming. Longshot walked Nami home._

"_It was nice to finally meet you, Longshot," she said and smiled at Longshot. Unsure of what to say, he only nodded. She entered her house and Longshot went to his home._

_**Months Later**_

"_I think I might be a better archer than you, Longshot," Nami teased._

"_Only because you had an amazing teacher," Longshot said, rasing the conical hat that Nami had bought for him._

_They were making their way to Nami's house as they always did after a day of practice. As they entered the house they saw Nami's family all sitting at their table. When the both of them approached the table, the door slammed behind them and when they looked, two fire benders in uniform stood by the door. _

"_So glad for you to join us," one of them said._

"_Yeah, so glad for you to join us," the other said,_

"_Ling, just let me do the talking okay?" the other one said. Ling nodded and crossed his arms over his shoulder._

_Nami rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she questioned._

"_We are just here to talk. We were told that there were meetings taking place here, in this village, about overthrowing the fire nation and we are here to end it, for good."_

"_What about the benders?" Ling asked._

"_Ah, yes," the other said, "the benders. If we find any benders, they will be taken away immediately, and we will find them, so might as well just confess now." Both of the fire benders looked at Nami._

_Before anyone could say anything the door slammed open and the man that sold them the conical hat months before came in. "It's them. Them two are the benders." The man pointed at Nami and to her step-brother, Wang. Longshot was confued. Only Nami and her mother were benders, weren't they? He could see Nami's eyes widen. _

"_Perfect," the fire bender said._

"_They're not benders," Longshot said getting in front on Nami. "He's lying."_

_Ling looked down at Longshot. "No one asked for your input." Ling grabbed Longshot's neck and raised him from the ground. "You shouldn't speak when not spoken to. But you won't have to worry about that anymore." Just as Ling was about to squeeze Longshot's neck even tighter, Nami lifted up the water from a nearby bowl and striking the man, causing him to let go of Longshot. She blew air onto the man and the water froze his whole body._

_Wang got up from his seat and stomped the ground and raised his arms and a boulder came out of the ground. Arms still raised, he pushed the boulder towards Ling, breaking a hole in the house._

_Longshot was shocked at what had just happened. He almost got killed for speaking his mind. The seller that ratted them out was about to leave when Longshot got hold of his bow and shot an arrow, piercing his sleeve to the wall to prevent him from leaving. _

"_Oh no," Nami's mother said tears filling her eyes as she looked out of the hole Wang made. Longshot made his way to see what happened, but later he wished he hadn't. There, right before his eyes, the village that he had been born in and raised was burning in flames. Longshot jumped out of the hole and ran to his home, but when he arrived it was too late. His home was in flames, flames so high they reached the skies. He broke down to the ground. Tears streaming down his face. Were his parents inside? Did they get out in time? He looked around but he didn't see his mother or father. He wiped his tears. "Longshot!" He could hear his name being shouted. He looked around and saw that it was, in fact, Nami and her family being taken away by members of the fire nation. He ran after them trying to reach her but the carriage that held them were too fast. "Nami!" was the last word he ever said._

* * *

**So I put this chapter in so you can see how they meet. I hope you guys and gals are enjoying my story so far. Criticisms/Questions? Review! I would also like to thank my brother who is only ten, for review my story, proofreading it, and pushing me to keep writing. Have a great Fanfiction day! I'll post chaptah four soon whether I get reviews or not:) **

**-Elisa **_  
_


	4. Things Change

_**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Avatar, silly.**_

_**It's a Long Shot  
**_

_**Chapter 4: Things Change**_

"And that's our story," Nami said. Smellerbee nodded at this, taking in all the things that the water bender had told her. Wang, Nami, and Smellerbee were sitting in a circle outside of the small house, leaving Longshot in there to rest.

"Wait, then how did you escape those fire benders?" Smellerbee asked with such curiosity.

"It was actually a lot easier than we expected it to be," Wang said. "You see, we were being sent to another prison. They took our family along with others in a carriage, and along the way we stopped. Those fire benders were stupid enough to give us water to drink." Wang began to laugh. "We told everyone that we could get out if they didn't swallow the water. When the fire bender left to start the carriage, everyone had a mouth full of water. When we finally stopped for the night and the fire benders were asleep, my mom and Nami bended the water out of everyone's mouth and sliced through the wood, kinda like what we did to your house. Once there was a hole, we got every body out quietly and it was smooth sailing from there,"

"That was great plan," Smellerbee said in awe. _That's something we would of done, _she thought to herself. She missed those days with the other freedom fighters. She missed attacking the fire nation as a group. It gave her a sense of power, like she wasn't useless or vulnerable.

"Yeah, it was all my idea," Wang said putting his hands behind his head. Nami smacked him. "You wish it was your idea," she said.

"Whatever, I'm going home," Wang said, getting up.

"Wait, you guys live here?" Smellerbee asked.

Nami nodded. "We live on the other side of the lower ring."

"See you later, Smellerbee," Wang said, winked at her then walked away. Smellerbee gave a faint smile.

"Can I ask you something, Smellerbee?" Nami asked a bit serious.

"What?"

Nami heaved a big sigh. "How has Longshot been? Last night when he saw us, he didn't say anything at all. I thought he would be a bit, I don't know, happy?"

"Look," Smellerbee started, "for as long as I've known Longshot, he doesn't speak much and he doesn't express that much feeling. Maybe back then he talked but now he doesn't. No one knows why he doesn't speak. We all thought it was because your village was burned down."

Nami looked down at the ground, speechless. This war was taking everything away from her. She lost her home, her friends, and now they took away the old Longshot that she knew and loved. She just wanted this war to end. She heard the Avatar was alive, but she thought it was just a rumor.

She didn't realize that it was completely silent until Smellerbee began speaking. "Did you and Longshot have, like, a relationship in your old village?"

Nami's eyes widened. "What? Me and Longshot? Of course not. No."

Smellerbee knew she was lying and it made her feel weird, a feeling she never felt before. So what if Longshot and Nami did have a relationship? Smellerbee did care, or did she?

"I promise you, me and Longshot didn't have anything going on between us."

All Smellerbee did was nod.

"So," Nami said trying to disperse the awkwardness that stirred between them, "I heard your good with sharp stuff?" Smellerbee looked up at her. Nami stood up and handed her a knife. "Let's see how good you really are."

* * *

His eyes fluttered open and he looked around the room. Longshot was laying on the blankets in the small house of his. _It must have been a dream, _he thought. He stood up and looked to his right, but Smellerbee wasn't there. _She must be outside_. He put on his shirt and draped his red scarf around his shoulders, then tied it. He grabbed his weapon while putting on his hat. Before exiting the house he saw the hole in the ceiling and his eyes grew bigger.

They boy swung the door open and ran outside. Right in front of him was Nami on one side and far on the other was Smellerbee. The girl with markings on her face took a knife and threw it sideways, as if skipping a rock, and watched it spin. All the years that Longshot's been with Smellerbee, he never saw her throw a knife like that.

He noticed that the knife was spinning towards his village friend and he ran towards her, tackling her down to the ground, preventing the knife from cutting her. He was now on top of Nami and she began laughing. "May I help you?" she asked. He looked into those deep blue eyes of hers and she looked into his brown eyes, and he saw her smile. The smile that he hadn't see in years.

"Longshot what are you doing?" he heard Smellerbee ask. He got off of Nami and looked at Smellerbee with so much confusion. "She was teaching me some new stuff," Smellerbee said. "It wasn't like I was going to hurt her. She was showing me how to catch a knife."

Longshot stood up, leaving Nami on the floor by herself. He walked over to grab his weapons that he dropped when he was running. Once he grabbed them he walked into the woods that was behind their house. Smellerbee and Nami stood there, watching as their friend left them alone.

"Where is he going?"

Smellerbee shrugged her shoulders. "He probably went to go practice his shooting."

"I'm going to go talk to him."

"And I'm going to go into town to get more food," Smellerbee said heading towards the opposite way.

Nami continued to walk into the woods, unsure of where to go or where Longshot went. She just kept on walking forward. She looked down and saw footprints. At least she knew she was going the right way. She followed the trail until the footprints just stopped; in the middle of the forest. She looked around and heard something; a whizzing. Before she had time to think she cart wheeled to the left, dodging and arrow. When she landed on her feet she looked up in a tree and saw Longshot still in his stands.

"I see things are still the same," she said aloud, bringing forth old memories. She saw him jump off the branch onto the ground. He approached her in smooth motion and handed her his bow with an arrow. She took it unsure of what to do. He looked into her eyes for a few seconds. Somehow she understood what he wanted her to do. It was as if he _was _talking to her without actually speaking.

She pulled back the arrow, but Longshot shook his head in disapproval. He came up behind her and put his hand on top of hers that held the end of the arrow. He pushed it down a little and put his other hand on the bow. He nodded which signaled her to let go, sending the arrow right in the middle of the tree. She smiled and looked at him. He was looking at her, but in a different way. He smiled, but it vanished quickly. He stepped away from her and sat against a tree.

Nami was confused on the event that just happened. For one second it was if the world was at peace and everything was back to normal, but it faded away as quickly as it came. She didn't have any special feelings towards Longshot. She loved him as a brother, but now she was unsure.

She handed him the bow, which he took into his grasp. She sat next to him, keeping her distance.

"Smellerbee told me you don't speak anymore," she began. "But she didn't tell me why." That wasn't a complete lie. Smellerbee told her what they _thought _was the reason, but never the true reason. Longshot didn't respond, he only shrugged his shoulders, and Nami expected this. She took a deep breath.

"We don't have to speak then," she said, and that was that. She knew she couldn't force Longshot to change, no matter how much she yearned to talk to her friend again. She remembered the young boy who would always talk to her.

"Things change," he said as if reading her mind. She looked at him, but he didn't look at her. Nami didn't realize how tire she was until she looked up at the trees. She laid her head on the ground and drifted to sleep, with the words her friend spoke replaying over and over in her head.

Longshot looked over at his friend that was sleeping then up at the skies that blended colors of purple, orange and yellow. _Things do change_, he thought referring to his feelings toward Nami. He was confused. He was almost done forgetting her until she showed up out of the blue. Did he love her? Even he didn't know, but it didn't matter. _She could never feel the same way_, and with that thought, the topic was closed, never to be brought up again.

He took a deep breath, but instead of pure oxygen filling his lungs, there was something familiar intertwined in it, causing Longshot to cough. That familiar scent was very near and his heart began shook Nami's shoulder to awaken her. When she awoke he grabbed her arm and guided her through the woods, back to his home. The sight that met them at the end of the woods was so awful, it was unbearable to look at.

* * *

**Well that's it:) I hope you guys enjoyed my story. If you have any questions/comments/criticism feel free to review. Special thanks to WatsWithUrGraceFace, Avatar Obsession, Somariel, and jjjc for reviewing, faving, and story alerting. And a big thanks to my brother for reading this over and helping me out with this whole fic.**

** Have a great Fanfiction day!**

**-Elisa**


	5. Gone

**Hey everybody!:) I got messages asking if my last chapter was the end and if it was if i could make the story longer so I did. I'm sorry I am updating so late I just got back from camp and I spent the whole day today writing this chapter. I'm going to be uploading a lot faster 'cause I twisted my ankle while I was at camp so I'm going to have a lot of free time now haha. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I'll update soon:)!**

**Disclaimer****: I don't own ATLAB**

_**It's a Longshot**  
_

_**Chapter 5: Gone**_

_Why? _That was the only word that ran through Longshot's head as he saw their new home burn in flames, making memories flow back into his mind. It was happening all over again. Everything seemed to be moving slow. It was as if time was mocking him, making it slow so he could watch the terror more than he should. He saw Nami run past him and everything seemed to speed up again.

"Longshot!," he heard a familiar voice say from the burning house, and he finally understood why Nami was running. Smellerbee was trapped in the house. He outran Nami as the adrenaline rushed through his veins. He entered the house as steam burned his face, but he didn't care. All he cared about was getting Smellerbee out of there alive, even if it meant _he _didn't. The smoke covered his vision, but he forced his eyes to go into focus, until he finally saw her. She was tied up in ropes in the middle of the house. He ran over towards her and picked her up, not worried about untying her. He made his way out of the house with Smellerbee in his arms.

As he exited the house he could see the sky with the setting sun, and could breathe in fresh air. As he set Smellerbee down, he could see Nami bending water from the plants onto the house, trying to put the water out. He tried to rip the rope but the rope wouldn't break. "There's a knife in my boot," Smellerbee coughed. Longshot reached into her boot and pulled it out. Quickly, he cut the ropes, setting Smellerbee free. They looked at Nami who bended a circle of water over the house. She moved her hands in smooth circular motions until she let them down, palms facing down. The water that hovered the house dropped, putting out all the flames.

She stumbled her way to Smellerbee and Longshot, color drained from her face. "What happened?"

"The Dai Li," Smellerbee said. "I ran into town and saw Wang yelling at them. He was talking about the war and how the fire nation had almost penetrated the wall. Then they began taking him away, so I fought, but there were too many of them. They took me down. I heard them say something about taking Wang to a river? They said I was too dangerous to be taken there so they brought me here to kill me. It was as if they knew exactly where I lived."

Longshot knew why. They had been spying on them. When Jet was taken away, the Dai Li saw him and Smellerbee and knew they were acquainted with him.

"I can't believe they took him," Nami said with anger in her eyes. She looked at the two freedom fighters and her face softened. "You can stay with me."

She began walking and they followed. They walked to the other side of the lower ring until they reached a small wooden house, a little bigger than Longshot and Smellerbee's used to be. Nami walked up the steps and entered the door, both of them following her. As he entered the house Longshot could see a small table in the middle of a room and to the side were two smaller rooms. A man with light brown hair dressed in earth kingdom worker clothes sitting at the table, and by his side was a woman with long, dark brown hair and blue eyes that grew bigger when she saw Longshot's face.

"I didn't know we would be having guests over," the man Longshot knew said.

"Neither did I," the woman said. "Come, sit," she said, motioning for them to come closer but none of them got close enough to sit down.

"Mom, Shan, this is Smellerbee," Nami said. "And Longshot."

"So it is you," Nami's mother said. "I remember that face anywhere," she said smiling.

Longshot gave a small nod to the woman that he knew so well. When she saw that he wasn't going to speak she put her attention back to her daughter.

"Are they able to stay with us for a while?" Nami asked.

"Of course they can," Shan said. "Not that I don't want them here, but why?"

"The Dai Li burned their house down, and almost killed Smellerbee." Longshot could see their expressions drop and the woman shook her head. "I knew the Dai Li was up to no good. Every time someone speaks about the war, they take them away."

Nami bit her lip. "That's another thing." She took a deep breathe. "They took Wang."

Her mother whipped her head and looked at her daughter, sadness taking over her face. Shan stood up with pain and anger in his face. A sheet of silence fell over them except for the sound of Shan's footsteps pacing the wooden floor. "How?" Shan shouted.

Nami winced. "He spoke of the war and they took him away." Shan shook his head and slammed his hand on the table that was in front of him.

"We'll bring him back," Smellerbee said. Nami looked at her with a faint smile on her face.

"Smellerbee's right. We will bring him back."

"No you won't." Everyone in the room looked at Nami's mother. "It's too dangerous. If I lose you," she paused for a second, "I will never forgive myself." She put her face in her hands. Shan made his way over to her.

"Meilin, we can't let the Dai Li do this to us," he said.

Smellerbee nodded her head. "We can bring back Wang. The Dai Li won't know what hit them!"

"No," they heard Nami say as she went to sit in the chair across from her mother and grab her hand. Shan and Smellerbee's eyes were on Nami as she spoke. "She's right. It's too dangerous for us to go."

A confused look appeared on Longshot's face. The Nami he knew would never back down from a fight, especially when it came to family. He raised an eyebrow and made eye contact with Nami's eyes. _What are you up to?_ his eyes said. She quickly turned her head and he knew that she understood.

"What about Wang?" Smellerbee asked .

Nami looked at the female warrior. "We can only hope for the best." She released her mother's hand and got up from the chair. "It's late. We should get some rest. I'll show you both where you'll be staying."

Longshot and Smellerbee followed their friend into a small room. The water bender laid down the lantern she was carrying on a wooden dresser. From the little light that the lantern provided Longshot could see two mats on the floor each with one pillow of hay and a blanket. They entered deeper into the room and looked back at Nami who was making her way to the door. "Good night."

Smellerbee exploded. "Good night? How can you say that when the Dai Li has your brother! And you're doing nothing to get him back." Smellerbee made her way closer to Nami. "You always fight for your family. You would never make it as a freedom fighter."

All longshot could do was just watch in shock at what his partner had just said. He knew the real reason why Smellerbee was upset. It wasn't about Wang at all, it was about Jet.

Nami showed no emotion. "You're taking your anger out on me. You're mad at yourself for doing nothing to stop the Dai Li from taking your friend away. I saw it. Now that it's happening to me, _you_ want to fix it hoping that it will make up for your friend. I protect my family and this is just one step on doing so. I know what I'm doing." She left the room, closing the door leaving Longshot and Smellerbee alone.

Longshot took off his conical hat and went over to Smellerbee who was still standing in the same spot. He put a hand on her shoulder which made Smellerbee speak. "I would chop off her head if I could." She turned around and faced Longshot as he stared into her deep brown eyes. _It's okay, _they said. Smellerbee did the unexpected and hugged him. At first the quiet boy was confused, but soon hugged her back. She pulled back and looked up at him. "Thanks Longshot," she said giving a faint smile.

They approached the mats, stripping off their unneeded clothing, turning off the lantern and laid down. All the events that happened that day kept replaying in Longshot's mind: Seeing his lost friend, the fire, and most of all, Smellerbee almost being killed. He was hoping that none of this would happen, that he and Smellerbee would finally live a close to normal life, but that was now out of the picture. He rolled onto his side facing Smellerbee. That's what bothered him the most; his partner's almost-death. If he had lost her, he wouldn't know what to do. She was his best friend and family. Without her, he'd have nothing. He sat up and nudged the girl lying next to him. When she didn't wake up he bent over and kissed her forehead and that was that. He laid back down and looked at her until his eyes finally shut.

* * *

It was a sound that woke Longshot up. It was as if someone knocked something over. He sat up and grabbed his bow and arrows. Quietly he went to the door and opened it slowly. He looked out and saw that one of the chairs was knocked to the ground. *His eyes made their way to the mat laying near it and saw that it was empty. His eyes widened and looked to the entrance of the house and saw a black figure exiting. Longshot ran out of the house, but was stopped as soon as he exited. A water rope snatched both of Longshot's hands, causing him to drop his weapon and pulled him towards the black figure. The person took of their mask and revealed Nami's tan face.

"You can't stop me, Longshot. I'm going to save Wang on my own. If I don't come back…" her voice faltered as she looked into his eyes. With Longshot's hands still tied up he cupped her face. Nami put a hand on his cheek and they both leaned in until their lips finally met in a kiss. Longshot's heart began to race not wanting to end it. Nami pulled back and looked at him once more before pinching a spot on his neck. Immediately, Longshot fell but Nami caught him and put him gently on the ground.

She bended the water that was around his wrists into her container. "I'm sorry," she whispered. With a blurred vision, Longshot could see Nami run away in the night until his vision blacked out completely.

* * *

**_That was Chapter 6:) hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions PLEASE FILL ABSOLUTELY FREAKING FREE TO REVIEW haha cause it gives me a sense of urgency and because it would make me happy:) This story has gotten 326 view! I'm so happy about that so thank you to all of you guys and females:) Please favorite this story thanks:) just thought i should share cause its kind of cool:) haha have a blessed day:)!_**

**_~Elisa_**


	6. Promises

_**Hey guys! This is a pretty short chapter so that's why I updated so quickly. I still hope that you enjoy it:] A big thanks to all the people who have reviewed my story and favorite-in g. It means a lot to me. So here is Chapter 6!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't not own A:TLAB…..:(**_

_**It's A Longshot**_

_**Chapter 6: Promises**_

Longhsot awoke to a shake on his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open to the sight of Smellerbee's face.

"Longshot, what happened?" she asked as he sat up. It took a moment for him to gain back his memory of what happened earlier that morning. _Nami._ He stood up and ran into the house only to find an empty mat on the floor. Smellerbee stepped into the house and shut the door behind her. Longshot turned to face her.

"She's gone," she said.

"Who?" Meilin's voice echoed throughout the house from behind Longshot. He looked at her face and saw worry in her eyes.

"Nami," Smellerbee said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Meilin went and sat on a nearby chair. "She said she wouldn't go."

"She wanted to protect you," Smellerbee said. Meilin shook her head as if shaking all the negative things that could happen to her daughter out of her head.

_How could I let this happen? _Longshot thought to himself. He lost his good friend once but he was damn sure he wasn't going to let it happen again. "I'm going after her." Meilin looked at Longshot with amazement. It was the first time she heard him speak in years.

"You're crazy if you think you're going alone," Smellerbee said with her hands on her hips. Longshot gave her a faint smile. He turned to face Meilin who was still looking at him in awe. He nodded and went to the room without letting Meilin say anything. He put on his clothes and secured his hat that had so much meaning on his head and went back into the main room. He saw Meilin standing by the door with Smellerbee by her side.

"I'll be waiting outside," Smellerbee said as she exited the house.

As he got closer to Meilin he saw that she was handing him a sack of some sort. He took it with a puzzled look on his face. "It's money. Just in case you need to buy your way through the rings. Thank you for doing this," she said with sadness in her voice. "Your parents would be proud, Renshu." The name mad e Longshot wince. If only he could see his mother and father again, or better: save his town from burning down. He gave her a small nod which made her smile. He went outside and she closed the door behind him.

Smellerbee handed Longshot his bow and arrows that he dropped earlier that day. As he saw the weapon all he could think about was the kiss he shared with Nami. He wasn't the kind of person to express his feelings, and everyone that knew him knew that, but he couldn't lose Nami again.

"Where to first?" Smellerbee asked, snapping Longshot back into the present. He looked into the sack that contained money and looked at Smellerbee. _The upper ring._

* * *

_**So that's the end of this chapter! I hope you guys liked it even if it was REALLY short. The next chapter will be longer and better I promise:]. PLEASE review! If you don't then I'll cry :,( . Thanks! I'll update soon. Have a nice day!**_

_**~Elisa**_


	7. Fears, Tears, and Regrets

_**Disclaimer: **_

_**Smellerbee- Say it.**_

_**Me- What if I don't want to?**_

_**Smellerbee- *Evil glare***_

_**Me- Fine! I don't own Avatar. Happy?**_

_**Smellerbee- Very**_

_**It's A Long Shot**_

_**Chapter 7: Fears, Tears, and Regrets **_

Longshot and Smellerbee were on their way to the upper ring of Ba Sing Se when something they never thought would happen came in the way. They turned the corner and Longshot's eyes widened at who they saw.

"Jet!" Smellerbee shouted. Longshot could see that Jet was with the Avatar and his group.

"I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore," the girl in blue said. Longshot knew who she was. Katara.

"I don't!" Jet said turning around only to find Smellerbee running up and hugging him.

"We were so worried," the girl with markings on her face said. "How did you get away from the Dai Li?"

Longshot could see Katara's horrified face. "The Dai Li?" she shouted.

"I don't know what she's talking about," their former leader said, backing away from Smellerbee. The boy with the conical hat approached the group that was starting to form around Jet. He was confused. Why was Jet lying?

"You got arrested by the Dai Li a few days ago. We saw them drag you away," Smellerbee said. It took a moment for Jet to answer.

"Why would I be arrested? I've been living peacefully in the city."

Longshot saw a girl he had never seen before get in between Jet and Smellerbee and kneel. She put her hand on the ground and spoke. "This doesn't make any sense. They're both telling the truth.

"That's impossible," Katara said.

"No it's not," a boy with a ponytail said. Longshot for sure knew who he was. Sokka. He resented Sokka so much. He was the reason the freedom fighters dispersed. If he hadn't of spoken of Jet's plan, they probably wouldn't be in this situation. Then again, he wouldn't of have seen Nami if it weren't for Sokka, so he decided to call it even.

Sokka started to talk again. "Toph can't tell who's lying because they both think they're telling the truth. Jet's been brainwashed!"

Everyone looked at Jet. "That's crazy," he said in his defense. "It can't be." He looked around at everyone. "Stay away from me!" But they did the opposite of what Jet said. They circled him.

"We need to find out what he knows," Katara said and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Where are you staying, Jet?" Smellerbee asked. Jet looked at her. "At the end of this block."

* * *

They reached the small house that Jet was staying in and sat him down in a chair. Katara was the first to begin speaking. "The Dai Li must of sent Jet to mislead us and that janitor was part of their plot too."

"Maybe they have Appa here in the city. Maybe he's in the same place they took Jet," the Avatar said. He looked at Jet and got closer to him. "Where did they take you?"

Jet sat there looking innocent as can be. "Nowhere. I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Aang spoke up. "We need a way to jog back his real memories."

Longshot sat on a nearby stool and Toph joined him. "Looks like your friend Jet is in a pretty intense situation," she said leaning against the wall. Longshot nodded and looked at her. He could see her foggy eyes.

"Yeah, I'm blind. No big deal," she said. "I don't need to see to be the greatest Earthbender."

Longshot only nodded. "You don't talk much do you?" she asked. He shook his head and looked at her, but she just shrugged her shoulders and walked back to her friends with Jet. Soon Longshot did the same.

"I don't think it's working," Jet said, spitting out a piece of straw wheat that Sokka had put in his mouth.

"Try to think of something in the past that triggers your emotions," Toph said.

Smellerbee spoke up and got closer to Jet. "The fire nation, remember what they did to your family."

"Close your eyes and picture it," Katara instructed. Jet did as he was told. The memory of his burning down village came to him.

"No," he gasped. "It's too painful."

"Maybe this will help," the waterbender said as she went behind Jet. She bended water out of her container and put it around Jet's ears. Longshot could see the water begin to glow. They just stood there watching. Longshot couldn't believe this. First Jet was taken by the Dai Li... Then it hit him. If Jet can take them where the Dai Li took _him_ maybe then they can find Wang and Nami their too. Jet began to speak. "They took me to a headquarters underwater. Like a lake."

Longshot and Smellerbee exchanged glances. What Smellerbee heard wasn't a river, it was a lake! Before she could share, Sokka did.

"Wait! Remember what Joo Dee said? She said she went on vacation to Lake Laogai."

"That's it!" Jet shouted. "Lake Laogai."

* * *

"So where is this secret headquarters?" Sokka asked as they finally made it to Lake Laogai.

"Under the water I think," Jet said raising his hand to his head.

"There's a tunnel right there, near the shore," the blind girl said pointing to her right. She began whistling as she walked over to it. Everyone stared at her. When she got to the spot she jumped and landed sideways, her left side pointing towards the lake, raising a walkway. Finally everyone began to follow her. At the end of the walkway was a circular block in the middle. Toph swung her right hand to her left. They all looked down the hole, then watched as Momo flew away from Aang's head. They made their way down and began following Jet through the catacombs.

"It's all starting to come back to me," Jet said.

They all passed a room full of "Joo Dees". _Creepy _Longshot thought.

"I think there's a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead," Jet told them. They kept following him until they reached a door. "I think it's through here." He opened the door and they entered. As soon as everyone was in, the door closed by itself, or so they though. Soon the room was brightened. They looked up and saw men of the Dai Li hanging from the ceiling.

"Now that's something different," Sokka said.

Then they heard Long Feng's voice. "You have made yourselves enemies of the state." Everyone glared at him, even Toph. Longshot got ready and arrow. He gave the Dai Li and order. "Take them into custody." Then it began.

The Dai Li dropped from the ceiling and circled the group. Soon everyone began fighting. Toph was blocking everything that the Dai Li was throwing. Longshot was shooting arrows, not missing a target. He saw Jet save Toph and ran over to them. Longshot shot an arrow that destroyed one of the rock hands. Jet rolled off of Longshot's back and blocked all of the rock they threw.

"Long Feng's getting away!" Aang shouted. Aang and Jet ran after him, leaving the others. A Dai Li was coming up from behind Katara and Longshot saw him. He drew back an arrow and shot it, sending it into the man's chest. Katara looked at Longshot but he saw a different face. He saw Nami's face. He shook his head to get the image out of his head but when he looked back at Katara, she slashed water in his direction. Longshot braced for impact, but soon realized that she didn't target him. He looked at the ground and saw a Dai Li out conscious. Longshot looked around and noticed that there were no more of them.

"They went this way!" Toph yelled and they followed her and they reach a door. Toph opened the door.

The first think Longshot saw was Jet on the floor. Everyone's eyes widened before running towards the fallen freedom fighter. They just stood there, unsure of what to do, until Katara bended her water under her hands and placed them on Jet's chest and stomach. She looked up at the others. "This isn't good."

"You guys go and find Appa. We'll take care of Jet," Smellerbee said.

Katara looked at her. "We're not going to leave you," Katara said. Longshot was enraged. It was as if the universe wanted him and Smellerbee to suffer. First it was their family and now Jet. He just wanted to take out his anger on Long Feng. This was his doing. He looked down at Jet and spoke. "There's no time. Just go. We'll take care of him. He's our leader."

Everyone looked at him. It was the first time they had ever heard him talk before. Longshot looked down at Jet again and saw a tear stream down his face. There was a moment of silence before Jet began to talk. "Don't worry, Katara. I'll be fine." He gave her an assuring smile. She got up and they all left. Longshot got ready an arrow and targeted the door, waiting and daring for anyone to get near them.

"Smellerbee," Jet said. "It's alright. Everything's going to be fine."

"Cut the crap, Jet. I know damn well it's not." At this point Smellerbee was crying, tears streaming down her face. She wiped them away quickly as if they were insects. Jet put all his energy together to raise his hand and caress Smellerbee's cheek. "You're strong Smellerbee, you always were. You and Longshot need to bring back the freedom fighters, but this time, do a better job than I did." Jet gave her a smile. "And Longshot."

At the sound of his name he looked at Jet. "Take care of Bee, for me." A tear strolled down Longshot's face. "I will."

Longshot heard the door open and shot an arrow, but right after he shot it, he wished he hadn't.

* * *

_**So that's it for this chapter. This whole story is the episode Lake Laogai. So all rights reserved to the episode and all its glory. I tried my hardest to capture all of the character's dialogues. Thank goodness for Netflix am I right?:D No? Okay ._. I'm probably going to upload again today. I have everything in my head. Sadly this story is about to end:/ but it's okay! Any questions? Review. And I hope that I upload soon! Have a great day:] **_

_**P.S Special thanks to Alapest for reviewing. You get a cookie! (.;.') -there it is:D thanks!**_

_**~Elisa**_


	8. Help

_**Disclaimer: I better say this quick before they get me so here it goes: I don't own Avatar. Phew, now that I got that off of my chest, enjoy the chapter!:)**_

**It's A Long Shot  
Chapter 8: Help**

As soon as he shot the arrow, he wished he hadn't. When he saw Nami go down, he dropped his bow and ran over to her. Wang who was next to her when they entered was now hovered over Nami. When Longshot reached her he could see the arrow in her right side below her ribs. Longshot could feel the color drain from his face and became hotter. He looked into her eyes. _ Nami, I didn't mean it. I thought you were the Dai Li. I needed to protect my friend. He's hurt and-_

"It's okay, Longshot," she whispered, cutting him off. She looked to her step-brother. "Wang, you have to pull it out." Wang nodded. Longshot watched as Wang grabbed hold of the arrow. The water all around the room rose forcefully and Longshot looked around and saw blue everywhere, stretching up to the ceiling. As soon as Wang yanked it out, the water dropped immediately splashing some water on them. He threw the arrow and he and Longshot helped Nami sit up.

"Did it hurt?" Wang asked. Nami gave him a glare. "No, Wang, it tickled." Wang put up his hands. She looked past Longshot and saw Smellerbee kneeling next to a boy. "Wang, go help Smellerbee with him." He nodded and went to do what he was told.

Nami looked at Longshot. "Can you take me to the water?" He nodded and picked Nami up. He saw her hold her side that was now bleeding. Immediately he felt sick to his stomach. He carried her to where the floor ended. Between the floor and the wall was a large canal full of water. He sat her down and looked at her. _What are you doing? _She looked away. "Go help Wang and Smellerbee," she said. She put her feet in the water then pushed herself into the water and sank. Longshot looked over the edge but didn't see her anywhere. Then he saw the water begin to glow_. _He turned around and went towards Jet.

"Where going to help you," Smellerbee said. Jet gave a very small nod. To Longshot, he looked worse. There was no color on his face and his breathing began to decrease. Longshot helped Wang carry Jet and soon enough Nami was with them. Her wound healed but there was a scar in its place.

"Let's get out of here," she said as her and Smellerbee led the way out. They turned corner after corner until finally they came across a stair case. They went up it and saw the sky from a small hole. Finally they left the catacombs, never to return there again. Longshot looked up at the sky full of purple and orange mixed together.

"There's a shortcut through the woods," Nami said leading the way. They were walking at a fast pace. Jet was an important to him, as he was to all the freedom fighters. He's the one that found Longshot after his village burned down. It was because of him that he was standing there alive. He was Longshot's family; like a brother. Now, he's in Longshot's arms; dying. Longshot looked over at Smellerbee who had a brave face on. He couldn't imagine the pain she was going through, but he was going to be there for her, no matter what happened. He promised Jet he would take care of her. Smellerbee was all he had left.

* * *

It was dark when they reached Nami's house. Longshot saw Nami swing the door open as they entered.

"Mom! He's injured. We have to help him," she shouted.

Meilin dropped her cup and got up from her chair. "Bring him to our room." Longshot and Wang made their way to the room and put him on the bed.

"Smellerbee, get some water. Longshot, get some towels. Wang, get my remedy box," Meilin ordered. Everyone dispersed and did as they were told.

Longshot went into the room he slept in days before and opened the drawers. The first two were full of clothes and knives. He opened the third drawer and there were three towels. He grabbed all of them and went back to the room Jet was in. He handed them to Nami and backed away by the doorway and watched. Smellerbee passed him with a bowl of water in each hand and Wang behind her with a big box. Smellerbee gave the water to Nami and Wang gave the box to Meilin.

Meilin dunked a towel in the water and put it on Jet's forehead. She opened the box and started putting different things into a cup. She bended some water in it and handed it to Wang.

"I need you to go and heat this up in the fireplace." With that he left the room.

Nami and Meilin bended some of the water out of the buckets and put it under their hands. Meilin put one of her hands on Jet's head and the other on his stomach. Nami put both of her hands on his chest. Soon the water glowed stronger than he had ever seen.

Wang came back into the room with the cup now hot.

"Don't stop Nami," Meilin said taking her hands off of Jet to get the cup. She lifted Jet's head and poured the drink into his mouth and he swallowed.

She put down the cup and went back to what she was doing before.

Smellerbee came up to Longshot and grabbed his arm. He looked down at her. Tears were streaming down her face and she looked scared. He had never seen Smellerbee like this, except for when he and Jet found her. He took his arm away from Smellerbee and put it around her instead, embracing her.

"When I say so, bend the water around him like we practiced," she said and she looked at Jet. "This might hurt." Meilin and Nami took a deep breath. "Now!"

They both lifted their hands and lowered them again and the water from the different parts of his body encircled him. This made Jet yell in agony. Smellerbee dug her face into Longshot's side and he covered her, masking her from the torture of their good friend going through pain. What seemed to be like forever to Longshot, the yelling began to cease. He uncovered Smellerbee and they both looked at Jet.

* * *

_**So there's the next chapter! I'm so excited that I posted two chapters today! I hope you guys enjoyed it. But tell me you guys: should Jet live or die? Tell me in the reviews:] if no one reviews the answer then it will take me longer to upload:/ Special thanks to Alapest for reviewing! Have a great night everyone!**_

_**~Elisa**_


	9. It's Time For a Change

_**Disclaimer: I *sniffle* do not *sniffle* own Avatar *sniffle* or Longshot:[**_

_**It's A Long Shot**_

_**Chapter 9: It's Time For a Change**_

Longshot and Smellerbee looked at Jet with wide eyes. They saw how he didn't move and thought he was dead, but Nami looked at them with a faint smile and this time _she _spoke to Longshot with her eyes. _He's going to be okay._ Longshot could feel a smile creep onto his face.

"Your friend's going to be all right," Meilin said approaching them with beads of sweat on her forehead. "A few days of rest and he should be good as new," she said with a small smile. Longshot looked at Smellerbee as her face lit up. She wiped away the trail of tears on her face. "Thanks, for everything."

Meilin nodded and walked out of the room. Longshot and Smellerbee went up to Nami who looked exhausted. Smellerbee hugged her.

"Thanks Nami. Looks like you're not that bad after all," she said and backed away. Nami smiled and nodded. Smellerbee looked down at Jet.

"Who is he?" Nami asked.

"He's our leader, the leader of the freedom fighters," Smellerbee said.

She nodded. "I need some fresh air," Nami said to them, almost in a whisper. They nodded and she left.

"Smellerbee," Jet whispered. "I'm right here," she said.

"What's going on?" Longshot could barely hear him.

"You're going to be okay. You just need some rest, that's all," she informed him, but he didn't respond. She brushed the hair off of his forehead. Longshot gave Smellerbee's shoulder an assuring squeeze and went into the main room. Meilin, Wang, and Shan were sitting at the table drinking some tea.

"She's outside," Wang said, referring to Nami. Longshot gave a nod and went to the front of the house. She didn't notice he was there until he sat next to her. He looked into her bright blue eyes.

She playfully nudged him with her elbow. "Quit lookin' at me like that," she laughed.

He smiled but it went away quickly. He was happy to have his friend by his side again, but something bothered him. _Why did you kiss me? _Longshot watched as Nami's face turned a bright red.

She began to speak in a hushed tone. "When I left to Lake Laogai I didn't think I would be coming back and that that was going to be the last time I saw you. I figured if it was, then might as well-," she was cut off to a pair of lips on hers. At first she was shocked that Longshot was kissing her again, but soon went along with it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he put his hands on her waist.

They parted for the lack of air. Nami smiled as she looked into his eyes and hugged him. Never had Longshot smiled that much. He was happy, things were starting to turn out right, and it finally felt like things were at peace.

A few days passed and Jet was almost better. He was speaking now and could sit up by himself and it made Longshot and Smellerbee happy to see their friend better.

Meilin came out of the room. "He wants to talk to all of you," she said, referring to the four of them. Longshot, Smellerbee, Nami and Wang entered the room and saw Jet sitting up. He looked at them.

"How are you feeling?" Nami asked.

"Great, thanks to you," he said.

"Why'd you call us in here for?" Smellerbee asked getting to the point. He looked at her and Longshot. "I want to get the freedom fighters back together, maybe even get some new recruits. This time, things will be different. Smellerbee, you'll be leading with me. We'll be traveling to different villages and if the fire nation are there… well, let's just say they won't know what hit them. We'll fight for those who can't fight for themselves," he said with a smile. He looked over at Wang and Nami with a sly smile. "Do you guys want to become freedom fighters?"

Nami and Wang looked at each other and smiled. "Yeah," Nami answered for them.

"Great," he said putting his hands behind his head and lying down. "Are you a waterbender too?" he asked Wang. He shook his head. "Earthbender."

Jet nodded in approval. "Very nice. We leave as soon as I can walk." They all nodded. Longshot knew that finding the others wasn't going to be easy. Who knows where they could be. It was a long shot, but he knew they could make it happen.

_**A/U: Hey everyone! So this was the last chapter, and I'm sorry it was a bad one:/. I was thinking of making a sequel or just putting the epilogue? I'm not sure yet. Tell me what you think!:) I'm just glad this story is finished. I really hope you guys like it! So you guys have homework~ Review if you think I should do a sequel or just and epilogue. If you do it, you all get A's :D. Thanks again. Peace, love and cookies!**_

_**Btdubs, the sequel is out:D It's called Stranger Danger so go check it out!**_

_**~Elisa**_


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